Review: Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T Keyboard Dock

Related devices

In my review of the Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T Windows 8 tablet, I noted that the optional keyboard dock would be reviewed separately. This, of course, is due to the fact that the two items are sold separately, and one could conceivably use the tablet without a dock. Of course, I wouldn’t recommend it. Adding a dock to the mix turns a tablet from a consumption device into a production device, making it infinitely more useful. Unfortunately, for as great as the SamsungAtiv Smart PC 500T Keyboard Dock is, it’s also somewhat frustrating.

Samsung’s optional keyboard dock is strange in that it feels sturdy, yet also inexplicably flimsy. For $130, you sure don’t get much compared to the docks for competing devices like the Asus VivoTab RT. The size of the keyboard feels great and the two additional USB ports are nice, but that’s about the extent of it. The keys are somewhat loud, the touchpad is frustrating, and the plastic doesn’t feel nearly as nice as the one used on the Ativ Smart PC 500T itself. It’s also roughly the same weight as the tablet it connects to, despite the fact that it doesn’t include an additional battery. This might sound overly negative, but the drop in quality and attention to detail when comparing the tablet to its docking accessory is noticeable. That being said, the keyboard dock is still a pretty darn useful accessory.

Before snapping the tablet into the dock, you’ll need to remove the plugs from the bottom of the tablet. The connection between the two devices is usually pretty sturdy, but there have been a few instances where they didn’t actually connect together even after I’d put a decent amount of pressure on the top of the tablet. Other times, the tablet just couldn’t detect the connection in general. Thankfully, these issues only seem to occur a small percentage of the time. To disconnect the tablet from the dock, just press down on the button in the center and pull upward.

Once the tablet and dock are connected, you’d be hard pressed to distinguish it from a regular laptop. It has the works, from the power and number lock lights on the front edge (the former light duplicates the indicator next to the power button) to the clamshell-like design. I also really appreciated the additional USB 2.0 ports on the left and right sides, allowing you to connect up to three USB devices at once. Additionally, the dock moves the power plug from the bottom to the back of the left side.

In my review of the Asus VivioTab RT dock, I criticized how it covered up the Start button and didn’t automatically disable the virtual keyboard. Unfortunately, the Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T has the same flaws.

The design of the keyboard is relatively clean. With the exception of the function keys and the arrows, each Chiclet key has just a single white character printed on it. Some people will like this, while others will miss the shortcut hints provided by other keyboards. Samsung also decided against including dedicated keys for the Windows 8 Charms, which is ok in my book, since I rarely use them anyway.

The dock’s keys feel fine under your fingers, but they are noisy enough that I have been hesitant to type too fast in a class or meeting. The volume level isn’t too terrible when compared to some keyboards – my old Logitech G15 keyboard makes more noise, for example - but it still makes me somewhat self-conscious in a public setting.

My biggest complaint, however, is with the touchpad. Good laptop touchpads are few and far between, and Samsung’s definitely doesn’t fit into the elite category of excellent touchpads. The sensitivity is fine, but the feeling of your finger sliding across it could be much better. The left- and right-click buttons are especially clacky, and speed of two-finger scrolling could be a little more consistent. Additionally, while the touchpad supports edge gestures for switching apps, pulling up the Charms, and invoking the app bar, the small lip around the edge of the touchpad makes it difficult to get the positioning right. As a result, I found myself repeating edge gestures multiple times or accidentally activating them at the most inopportune moments.

Is the Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T Keyboard Dock bad? Not really, no. It’s a passable dock, but it could be so much better; especially when compared to the tablet it’s designed to go along with. I am of the opinion that a keyboard dock - even a semi-disappointing one – is better than no dock at all, so I’d still recommend picking one up. But at $130, you won’t get nearly as much value for your dollar as competing accessories.

The Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T Keyboard Dock retails for $129.99. The tablet review unit was provided to me by Intel as part of the company’s #IntelTablets #TabletCrew program, but the keyboard dock was purchased separately.

Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T Windows 8 Tablet Review

Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T Windows 8 Tablet ReviewLisa Gade reviews the Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T Windows 8 Tablet. The 500T runs on a 1.8GHz Intel Atom CPU and it has an 11.6" touchscreen with active Wacom digitizer and S-Pen. The 1.7 lb. tablet can run Windows 7 programs and runs full Windows 8. It has a 1366 x 768 PLS display, 2 gigs of DDR2 RAM and a 64 gig SSD. The tablet has 1 USB 2.0 port and a microSDXC card slot. Samsung offers an optional keyboard dock that sells for $129 and the tablet sells for $649. It has long battery life and a fan-less design and it sits between the MS Surface RT tablet and Intel Core i5 tablets for price and performance.
Read our full written review here: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/notebooks/Samsung-ATIV-500t.htm .PT23M18S

The official launch of the Samsung Galaxy S7 is only a few days away but Samsung’s Indonesian website has already begun teasing the device and its features. What’s more, it comes with a video!
Do we actually have the Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 edge on video for the first time ever? Well, yes and we think a...

Galaxy S2 is one of the most sold Samsung phones, it began the revolution in the smartphone world. It was one of the best Android phones to own at that time. It had decent hardware that gave a good performance. After almost five years since it has been released, it may not have the specifications as...

Samsung has completely revamped their Edge screen features in Android 6.0 Marshmallow. No more tickers, they're now taking advantage of a much larger panel that displays more info and provides even more shortcuts to apps, contacts, and functions. It's pretty nuts and we've got all the details in our...

It seems like Samsung is sticking to their Android 6.0 Marshmallow rollout plan as they’ve just announced that they’re beginning to roll out the fluffy new version of Android to their Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge devices internationally.
The South Korean electronics giant said that the rollout will...

Related reviews

The Asus ZenFone Zoom is a smartphone built around one specific feature. No. Not the camera. The phone’s name is a dead giveaway. This device is built around the zoom on the camera.
We’re talking niche of a niche, as we’ve seen camera focused phones before, but few with this kind of optical hardware...

Today you're going to be able to play Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance on your NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV machine. You, too, can live the glory days of the PlayStation 3 and chopping up your enemies with two-button combinations and ninja running. This game looks pretty gosh-darned good, and not just for...

The Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch is an Android-compatible smartwatch that does not use the Android Wear operating system like the majority of the Android smartwatches that are currently on the market. Samsung marches to the beat of their own drum and has opted to use the Tizen OS to power their watches....

Until now, the Pixel brand was all about Chrome OS laptops. But in September, the company surprised us all when it announced its Surface competitor, the 10.2-inch Pixel C Android tablet with its optional Bluetooth keyboard. Unlike its Nexus line of tablets, this is the first time Google has built its...

So you bought iPhone 6. You love the understated styling of the aluminum enclosure and how the device feels in your hands. But iOS is a dog brain. It's loyal and friendly, but you want more than a tail-wagger that needs to be let out to pee. HTC has your back, with the shockingly similar-looking One...

Related howto

Find out what Marshmallow will bring to your Galaxy. Photo: Google
Unless you live in South Korea or Poland, you won’t have received a Marshmallow update from Samsung yet. But thanks to this leaked employee guide, you can learn all there is to know about the company’s latest software upgrade before...

002
Do you want to Install CM13 Custom ROM on your Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0? This is a modified version of stock Android 6.0 Marshmallow firmware and brings features and apps that cannot be found on the pure Android system, so the fun will begin, but you should also know that you might still find some...

A file meant to be shared with Samsung employees has leaked showing all the ins and outs of Android 6.0 Marshmallow on the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. What you're going to be able to do is see not just what Android 6.0 Marshmallow can do in general, but what users like yourself will be able to do with your...

As smart watches become an ever increasing part of our lifestyle, the battle is on for supremacy amongst the platforms that power the devices that adorn our wrists. Google’s Android Wear is just one of these platforms and while its smartphone counterpart continues to dominate the smartphone market, Android...